a privileged resolution after the break next week. guest: divorce a debate on the floor. host:-- to force a debate on the floor. host: gentlemen, thank you. walter jones and jim mcgovern. the house is now in session. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2015] chaplain conroy: let us pray. eternal god, we give you thanks for giving us another day. lead us this day in your ways that our nation might be guided along the roads of peace, justice and good will. grant strength and wisdom to our speaker and the members of both the people's house and the senate, to our president and his cabinet and to our supreme court. we thank you for the inspiration granted to the members of this house who have worked long hours in recent days to produce legislation which has been debated

vigorously. may all their efforts issued forth to the benefit of our nation and its people. bless them with rest and recreation as they return to their home districts. bless also all our mothers whom we celebrate in a special way in another week's time. may all that is done within the people's house be for your greater honor and glory. amen. the speaker: the chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceedings and announces to the house his approval thereof. pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1 the journal stands approved. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania rise? >> mr. speaker, pursuant to clause 1, rule 1, i demand a vote on agreeing to the speaker's approval of the journal. the speaker: the question is on agreeing to the speaker's approval of the journal. those in favor indicate by saying aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the journal stands approved. the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. thompson: mr. speaker, i

object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and i make a point of order that a quorum is not present. the speaker: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question are postponed. the pledge of allegiance today will be led by the gentleman from new hampshire, mr. guinta. mr. guinta: please join me in the pledge. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the speaker: the chair will entertain up to five requests for one-minute speeches on each side of the aisle. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania rise? mr. thompson: mr. speaker, request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker: without objection. mr. thompson: mr. speaker, i rise today in support of h.r. 1732, the regulatory integrity protection act of 2015, introduced by my friend and colleague, chairman bill shuster. enacted in 1972, the clean

water act established a federal-state partnership to protect our nation's navigable waterways. the proposed waters of the u.s. role will have no impact on waters historically not under the clean water act's jurisdiction and is needed simply to provide legal clarity. well i agree that the boundaries of the clean water act needs to provide clarity. it creates far more problems than it can solve. rather than clarifying the role , the law would create more confusion where the law stops. back in march the house agriculture subcommittee on conservation forestry, which i chair, held the second hearing to review the proposed rule and the impact on rural america. the various witnesses spoke loud and clear that role will have far reaching impacts on permitting costs and regulatory uncertainty for land use such as agriculture and forestry. with the significant challenges already before farmers ranchers, forest owners and

landowners, there's too much on the line to continue down the path of nonsensical overregulation. the corps of engineers and the e.p.a. must withdraw this role going back to the drawing board. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from washington seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from washington is recognized. >> thank you mr. speaker. next week we will be out of session and back in our districts and many of us will be visiting small businesses appropriately because it's national small business week and we should visit small businesses, we should frankly whenever we're home. mr. heck: meanwhile, only 25 legislative days remain before a tool use and cherished by america's small businesses disappears. only 25 more legislative days before this business tool for small businesses vanishes altogether.

only 25 more legislative days and the export-import bank will shut its doors to our nation's small businesses unless we hold the vote. mr. speaker hold the vote. hold the vote today. hold the vote if you champion america's small businesses succeeding in global competition. the votes are here. mr. speaker, hold the vote. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from new hampshire seek recognition? mr. guinta: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new hampshire is recognized. mr. guinta: mr. speaker, i rise today on behalf of new hampshire's most historically important enterprise, our fishing industry. for nearly 400 years, our fishermen have provided the granite state with a steady source of jobs and revenue. their passion and livelihood is woven into the fabric of new england's rich heritage. today our fishermen face a host

of challenges. most of which are due to the heavy hand of government intervention and regulation. our government must help, not hinder, our states' fishermen. that's why this league i join congressman bill keating to introduce h.r. 2106, a bipartisan bill to redirect more than $100 million in existing funds to programs of crucial importance to our fisheries our fishermen and the region at large. granite state fishermen deserve the resources and tools necessary to assist with their jobs, cope with government mandates and increase their ability to put food on the table for millions of americans around the united states. this bipartisan legislation represents one step we can take to ensure this industry that is so important to the history of our state and our region and our country can last for another 400 years, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentlelady from florida seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to

address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from florida is recognized. >> thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, today i rise to recognize 2015 as the year of the military diver. ms. graham: to honor the hard work and sacrifice of divers from all of our nation's service branches. within north florida's second congressional district is naval support activity panama city the home of military diving in the united states. today, led by commanding officer cou, the naval diving and training center at nfapc, is training the world's most advanced divers. i've seen firsthand how hard the men and women of our armed forces train at the diving center to keep our nation safe, and today i'd like to thank

them for their service and officially recognize 2015 as the year of the military diver and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from idaho seek recognition? mr. simpson: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the further consideration of h.r. 2028. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. pursuant to house resolution 223 and rule 18, the chair declares the house in the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for further consideration of h.r. 2028. will the gentleman from texas, mr. poe kindly take the chair? the chair: the house is in the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for further consideration of h.r.

2028 which the clerk will report by title. the clerk: a bill making appropriations for energy and water development and related agencies for the fiscal year ending september 30, 2016, and for other purposes. the chair: when the committee of the whole rose earlier today, a request for a recorded vote on an amendment offered by the gentleman from california, mr. lamalfa had been postponed, and the bill had been read through page 57, line 11. for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: amendment offered by mr. duncan of south carolina. at the end of the bill before the short title insert the following, section, for an additional amount for corps of engineers, civil department of the army, investigations, there's hereby appropriated in the amount otherwise provided by this act for department of energy, energy programs

departmental administration is hereby reduced by $2,500,000. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 223, the gentleman from south carolina and a member opposed each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from south carolina, mr. duncan. mr. duncan: thank you mr. speaker. before i start i just want to thank the gentleman from idaho the chairman of the committee on energy and water appropriations for all his exemplary work on this and allowing the open process to actually work. i know that my colleagues that have offered amendments, appreciate the time they've been able to do that, and i want to thank him for that. mr. speaker, i rise today to offer an amendment to the energy and water appropriations bill. this amendment takes dollars out of the bureaucracy in washington, d.c., and puts it to work for the american people, helping ports and harbors like the charleston port in my home state of south carolina do the important work necessary to begin the deepening of those harbors. last month i had the pleasure of visiting the panama canal and i led a house delegation of

the summit of americas. the lock and dam of that canal is being upgrade and it's very interesting to see the work being done there. once the work is complete, larger ships will be able to come through the canal and deliver goods to and from atlantic and gulf ports along the eastern seaboard. this will be one of the key economic drivers in the 21st century. if america's going to compete on the global stage, we need to be ready for this transformation. my amendment seeks to speed that readiness, helping to transform critical ports like the charleston to the depth that will allow these bigger ships to navigate those harbors more often. this amendment is about this house setting our government spending priorities just like every family does at home. we're rapidly approaching a $20 trillion debt, and we have a moral responsibility to use every tax dollar wisely. and i'm grateful that my colleagues on the appropriations committee were able to negotiate this amendment to increase funding for vital infrastructure projects like the port of charleston and pay for it by forcing bureaucratic agencies

to operate more efficiently. i urge the passage of the amendment and i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from south carolina reserves his time. does anyone wish to be recognized in opposition? the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from south carolina. the gentleman from south carolina does yield back. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from south carolina. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the amendment is agreed to.

doip pursuant to clause 6 and rule 18, proceedings will now resume on those amendments on which further proceedings were postponed in the following order. amendment number 5 offered by mr. rothfus of pennsylvania. amendment offered by mr. gosar of arizona. amendment is it offered by mrs. blackburn oftown tfpblet amendment offered by mr. mcclintock of california. first amendment by mr. lamalfa of california. second amendment by mr. lamalfa of california. the chair will reduce for two minutes each for identify electronic vote after the first vote in this amendment. the request is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. rothfus, on which further proceeds were

postponed and the yeas prevailed by vose vote. the clerk: amendment number 5 offered by mr. rothfus of a. the chair: recorded vote has been requested. those in support of a recorded vote will rise and be counted. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a 15-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc. in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the chair: on this vote the yeas were 232. the nays were 172. the amendment is adopted. the unfinished business is the request for recorded vote on amendment number 10 printed in the across-the-board-d. congressional record, offered by the gentleman from arizona, mr. gosar which the proceedings were postponed and which the ayes prevailed by voice vote. the clerk will redesignate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 10 printed in the coord -- congressional record, offered

offer by mr. gosar of arizona the chair: a recorded vote has been requested. a sufficient number having arisen, members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a two-minute vote. the [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the chair: on this vote the yeas are 224. the nays are 184. the amendment is adopted. the unthe unfinished business is the request -- the unfinished business is the request for a recorded vote on the amendment offered by the

gentlewoman from tennessee, mrs. blackburn, on which further proceedings were postponed and on which the noes prevailed by voice vote. the clerk will redesignate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 12 printed in the congressional record offered by mrs. blackburn of tennessee. the chair: a recorded vote has been requested. those in sport of a request for a -- those in support of the request for a recorded vote will rise and be counted. a sufficient number having arisen a recorded vote is ordered. leong lorning. -- members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a two-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the chair: on this vote the yeas are 159. the nays are 248. the amendment is not adopted. the next the unfinished business is the request for a recorded vote on the amendment offered by the gentleman from california, mr. mcclintock on which further proceedings were postponed and on which the ayes prevailed by voice vote. the clerk will redesignate the amendment. the clerk: amendment offered by mr. mcclintock of california. the chair: a recorded vote has been requested. those in support of the request

for a recorded vote will rise and be counted. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a two-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the chair: on this vote the yeas are 228. the nays are 183. the amendment is adopted. the unfinished business is the request for a recorded vote on the first amendment offered by the gentleman from california

mr. lamalfa, on which further proceedings were postponed and on which the ayes prevailed by voice vote. the clerk will redesignate the amendment. the clerk: first amendment offered by mr. lamalfa of california. the chair: a recorded vote's been requested. those in support of the request for a recorded vote will rise and be counted. a sufficient number having arisen a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a two-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the chair: on this vote the yeas are 239. the nays are 174. the amendment is adopted. the unfinished business is the request for recorded vote on the second amendment offered by mr. the gentleman from california, mr. lamalfa, on which the further proceedings were postponed and on which the ayes prevailed by voice vote. the clerk will redesignate the amendment. the clerk: second amendment offered by mr. lamalfa of california. the chair: a recorded vote having been requested those in support of the a recorded vote

will rise and be counted a a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a two-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the chair: on this vote the yeas are 228. the nays are 183. the amendment is adopted. the clerk will read the last two lines. the clerk: page 57 line 1. this act may be cited as the energy, water, and development and related agencies appropriations act 2016. the chair: for what purpose does the gentleman from idaho seek

recognition? mr. simpson: mr. chairman, i move that the committee do now rise and report the bill back to the house with sunry amendments and with the recommendation that the amendments be agreed to and the bill as amended be passed. the chair: the question is on motion that the committee rise. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed no. the ayes have it. the motion is adopted. accordingly, the committee rises. the the chair: mr. speaker, the committee of the whole house on which the state of the union having had under consideration h.r. 2028 directs me to report the same back to the house with sundry amendments with the recommendation that the amendments be agreed to and the bill be amended to pass.

the speaker pro tempore: the chair of the committee of the whole house on the state of the union reports that the committee has had under consideration the bill h.r. 2028, and reports the bill back to the house with sundry amendments adopted in the committee of the whole with the recommendation that the amendments be adopted and that the bill as amened do pass. under house resolution 223, the previous question is ordered. is a separate vote demanded on any amendment reported from the committee of the whole? if not, the chair will put them engross. the question is on the adoption of the amendments. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the ayes have it. the amendments are adopted. question is on enrowsment and third reading of the bill. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. third reading. the clerk: for energy, water

development, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending september 30, 2016, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i have a motion to recommit at the desk. the speaker pro tempore: is the gentleman opposed to the bill? >> in the current form the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman qualifies. the clerk will report the motion. the clerk: mr. bera of california moves to recommit the bill 2028 to the committee on appropriations with instructions to report the same back to the forthwith with the following amendment, one, water and related resources, page 13, line 14, after the dollar amendment insert increase by $15 million. two, policy and administration, page 15, line 24, after the dollar amendment insert reduced

by $30 million. three, electricity delivery and reliability, page 21, line 17, after the dollar amendment insert increase by $15 million. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. bera: mr. speaker, this is the final amendment to the bill. it will not kill the bill or send it back to committee. if adopted the bill will immediately proceed to final passage as amended. mr. speaker, we are in the midst of the worst drought we ever experienced in california in my home state, and across the western united states. this is the fourth year of unprecedented drought conditions. 2/3 of california is in extreme or exceptional drought. almost twice the area this time last year is experiencing

exceptional drought. this is critical. when i go back to my district and talk to farmers, small business owners, individuals they are worried. they are worried about what the summer's going to bring. we are about to enter the driest part of the year. i got a picture here. this is the sierra nevada, one of the most beautiful regions in our country. yet when my wife and i first moved to northern california we would scrimp and save so we could go on vacation and go skiing up here. beautiful snow. the 1960 winter olympics were held up here. but it's not a recreational area. what the sierra nevadas mean to california this is our biggest rest choir -- reservoir of water. the snow fall in winter slowly melts and it allows -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman will suspend.

the gentleman may proceed. mr. bera: the snow falls and in the springtime you get this melt off. it fills our reservoirs, it nourishes our farmers. it allows the finishmen to go fish the salmon in the sacramento river. this is what a normal snowfall would look like. let's fast forward to where we are today. there's no snow. the snow pack just last month was 5% of normal, the worst conditions we have ever seen. this is dramatic. what that means is our reservoirs are going to be empty. that means the farmers in central california are going to struggle to feed their crops. california's farms are the breadbasket not just of our nation but of the world. some of the most productive farms. incredibly important to our economy. but the water's not there.

now, what we are asking for is not a lot. we face critical times here. these aren't republican or democratic issues because a farmer or consumer doesn't look at drinking water or the water to nourish our crops as democrats or republicans. they are looking at their business, their livelihood. their very existence. we are just asking for a small amount of emergency drought relief n my own district p a large part of my population depends on drinking water from the lake. do you want to see what the lake looked like one year ago? dry. dry to the bone. this should all be under water. we are not going to fill this reservoir because it depends on the snow melts. now, these families are going to

struggle. we are doing what we can to save water. we are doing what we can as consumers to better conserve. i know the farmers are stepping up to do what they can. we are not asking for a lot, though, here. we've got to -- my colleagues will talk about -- it's not going to relieve the impact of this summer. it is going to be devastating and not just my state. it's affecting nevada. it's affecting oregon. it's affecting washington state. anti-funding that we are asking for is -- and the funding that we are asking for is not just for california. all 50 states could ask for emergency drought relief to help families, to help businesses. we've got to address this. now the climate is changing. we've noticed now for four years we haven't had that snow. more of it's coming down as rain. we got to capture that rain. we certainly have to store it. and we got to move that water

where we grow our foods. but for this summer and these emergency conditions, our families need relief. i'm not asking for us to change the bill. i'm asking for a bit of relief for families that are struggling. and, in fact this will help them. it will help them get through it. it will help any of the 50 states plan for emergency conditions like this. in addition, we are asking for a brief bit of funding to help us beef up our cybersecurity for electrical grid. we are vulnerable here. can you imagine what would happen if those that want to harm us attacked our electrical grid? so we are not asking for a lot. we are not asking for anything that is unreasonable here. we are americans. let's help each other. let's do what's right. let's amend the bill and pass it and provide relief for these families. thank you mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back.

for what purpose does the gentleman from idaho seek recognition? mr. simpson: rise in opposition to the motion to are commit. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. simpson: mr. speaker, thank you. i appreciate the remarks the gentleman just made. it would have been helpful if he was so concerned about the drought, which i'm sure you are, it would have been helpful if you voted for some of the amendments that might have addressed the problem like the mcclintock amendment that says you can't take water and buy it and flush fish down the river when people need it. the reality is this motion to recommit will not help with the drought conditions in california at all. there are only two things that will help relieve the drought. one we have no control over. it comes from a higher power it's called rain and snow. we can't legislate that. the second thing is, maybe we could start listening to some of the people who have been advocating to address this problem for several years.

congressman nunes, congressman calvert, congressman mccarthy congressman mcclintock, congressman lamalfa. they have made real proposals that would require the operation of the complex california water system so that it would consider the lives and jobs and families of people before it did fish. mr. speaker, this amendment doesn't do anything won't help the drought conditions in california. we've already put money into the grid issue to try to make sure that we secure the grid, that it's not subject to attacks. the other thing i'd say, this has been a balanced bill. we got over 60 amendments we've considered from members on both side of the aisle adopted many of them. some have been rejected but it's been an open process.

it's the way speaker boehner wanted the appropriations process to work so that all members could work their will on the appropriations bills. i don't need to go through the bill. what i would tell you is reject this m.t.r. be happy smile and enjoy next week. thank you and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. without objection, the previous question is ordered on the motion to recommit. the question is on the motion to recommit. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the noes have it. the motion is not agreed to. >> i'd like to have a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: a recorded vote is requested. those favoring a recorded vote will rise. a sufficient number having arisen a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc. in cooperation with the united states house of representatives.

-- the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 and 9 of rule 20 this will be a 15-minute vote followed by passage of the bill, if ordered and on agreeing to the speaker's approval of the journal. this is a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 180. the nays are 235. the motion is not adopted. the question is on passage of the bill. under clause 10 of rule 20, the yeas and nays are ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 240. the nays are 177. with zero voting present.

the bill is passed. without objection the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. pursuant at the clause 8 of rule 20, the unfinished business is the question on a-- agreeing to the speaker's approval of the journal which the chair will put de novo. the chair will put the agreeing to the spomplee. those in favor will vote aye. those opposed will vote no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the jurem stands approved. for what purpose does the gentleman from wisconsin seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent that the gentleman from nebraska, mr. smith, be removed as a co-sponsor of h.r. 21. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. sensenbrenner: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from wisconsin seek recognition? mr. sensenbrenner: i ask unanimous consent that when the house adjourns today it adjourn to meet at 11:30 a.m. on tuesday may 5 2015. the speaker pro tempore: without objection.

the chair will entertain one-minute requests. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek

recognition? ms. ros-lehtinen: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you mr. speaker. today i rise to recognize police officer shirley verde on being named the village of pine crest police department's officer of the first quarter of 2015. officer verde has consistently shown her commitment to her community and her fellow officers through her professionalism and dedicated service. she also has proven herself as an invaluable member of the pine crest police d.u.i. enforcement program. a perfect example, in the early morning hours of march 1 of this year officer verde successfully and safely resolved a situation where an impaired driver was traveling in the wrong direction in heavily trafficked u.s. 1. there is no doubt that her quick and decisive action saved many

lives. officer verd sefment incredibly worthy of this honor, and i thank her for her dedication and service to the people of my hometown, the village of pine crest. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from rhode island seek recognition? mr. langevin: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarksment the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. langevin: mr. speaker, earlier today i introduced the stem to steam resolution. we all know how important science, technology engineering and mathematics is to our education, but it's also important that we recognize art and design are critical and complimentary to the traditional stem field. this is what my resolution accomplishes. our design are key parts of the innovative process and i urge my colleagues to keep this in mind as we consider education legislation. in classrooms and laboratories across the contry, the innovative nature of art and

design play an essential role in improving stem, education, and advancing stem research n my home state, the rhode island school of design, continues to be a leader in this field and i commend their efforts to unlock our full creative potential. stem is a strategy for investing in job creation ensuring that we have the best educated and creative college graduates on the planet. it's wonderful to see a growing interest in steam and i hope we can turn this energy into policy changes this congress. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today in support of the hardworking men and women of west texas. i lived most of my life around those oil feepeds fields and groo up there where my dad was a roughneck. mr. conaway: i see good work they do and risk every day. these individuals from wildcatters and roughnecks have led the charge of the american

energy revolution. each has played a critical part and changing our nation's course toward energy independence. we have witnessed impact of strong entrepreneurial spirit and innovative technological advances that have grown our economy, created jobs, and bolstered our national security. we depend on their exhaustive and dangerous work to poer our homes, pave our roads fuel our cars farm our lands, and everything in between to keep this nation running. it's imperative that congress support energy policies that are hardworking like these men and women. we must cut through bureaucratic red tape to stop killing job killing regulations. to that end i'm introducing house resolution 243 that will pledge the houses' support to these criteria. i hope my colleagues will join me in this show of support for our hardworking industry. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without

objection. >> mr. speaker, in april, 1985, jane f.s.c. began her first job as a receptional for the office of john murtha at this age of 19. mr. veasey: i rise today to honor her for her 30 years of service to the united states house of representatives. jane was seen many -- has seen many historical and great members move through the house of congress here and has done a great job serving many members honorably, but most of the time was spent working for mr. murtha for 25 years until he passed. after that, jane continued her service with congressman mark critz and then she joined my office in 2013 which was my freshman year. jane is known in the office and around the house as someone who is very caring, very committed and passionate about her work. and she loves maryland and knows so much of the history of the

hometown where she is from. she has a great sense of humor. i love her family, including her father. who served honorably in world war ii during the marines. i would like to take this moment to thank jane for 30 years of service to the house and to personally thank her for all her hard work for so many members, including myself. our office has benefited greatly from her presence. mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> mr. speaker i rise today in strong support of the work being done to rejuvenate the south dade neighborhoods in florida's 26th congressional district. prepared by more than 300 residents and businesses the plan entitled tomorrow's south dade is a community driven effort to provide a vision for the future of the region over

the next several decades. south dade has a rich history based in agriculture and military, and is home to one of our country's great natural treasures. everglades national park. mr. curbelo: the leaders of tomorrow's south dade program have established nine committees to focus on different areas in which to strengthen the economy, including infrastructure, agriculture, and education. i commend the bold leadership of the mayor jeff, and florida city mayor, otis wallace, and with the help of builder cat and bob ep ling of community bank, florida i'm confident local government and businesses can work in uneson for the betterment of our community. i look forward to working with my colleagues in congress to promote tomorrow's south dade and ensure future generations have a community they are proud to call home. with that, mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired.

for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to extend my deepest condolences and those of florida's 13th congressional district to the family and friends of rochelle ray. no words can truly convey the loss that has been felt since rochelle's most tragic passing. she was the president and c.e.o. of gulf coast jewish family and community services and had been with the agency for 12 years. she's responsible for managing the organization, 600 employees would going with 60 different programs covering 32 counties in the state of florida. she worked tirelessly to help those with serious physical disabilities and impacted many families around the country as an advocate for children's mental health policies. mr. jolly: she frequently spoke around the country to share her passion for the welfare of children. rochelle's life was tragically cut short in an abhorrent case of domestic violence last december. she was just 46.

i wish to honor the life of rochelle who is survived by her two daughters, marissa and selena, her parents, and her sisters. rochelle will be greatly missed but her memory will live on through those she touched and influenced throughout her life. may god bless michelle ray. may god bless her family. and may god bless the family of gulf coast jewish services. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from arizona seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. mcsally: i rise to recognize the people of wilcox, arizona, in my district in their 100 years of incorporation on may 3. wilcox is rich in history of the southwest. incorporated in 1915, the city was founded over 30 years earlier as a construction camp of the southern pacific railroad.

the railroad contributed to wilcox's development as one of the busiest ranching towns. in 1936, wilcox shipped more cattle directly from the range than any other shipping point in the u.s. and ranching is still and important part of that community today. the city is the birthplace of rex, known as the arizona cowboy, and is home to the headquarter saloon where the youngest of the fabled earp brothers, warren was killed. the city lies at the heart of the region's blossoming wine industry where 3/4 of all wine grapes produced in arizona are grown. mr. speaker, on this historic centennial, i congratulation the people of wilcox on preserving this gem of the old west and wish them many years of future success. with that, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. for what purpose does the does gentleman from california seek recognition?

>> thank you, mr. speaker. mr. lamalfa: this week we made important strides on water in the west, especially in the time of drought we have in california. we need to do much more to build the supply necessary to get out of the drought. unfortunately, the bureaucracy doesn't reward that with slow permit process or even some of the things we had to battle this week such as deferring more water for fish that isn't even in records of decision or feasibly shown to be scientifically sound. at the same time we have to curb the bureaucracy, we have to be positive moving forward with new storage projects such as utter ops we have in the state of california and throughout the west to address this drought. not just take it to the church of climate change and think that's the whole problem. we are going to have to be proactive as we have been in

previous generations. mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california seek recognition? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> mr. speaker, i rise today to join president obama in recognizing may as national foster care month. the goal of this special month is to raise awareness about the experiences of more than 400,000 youth in the foster care system and to recognize the essential role that foster parents, social works e. and advocates have in the lives of children in foster care throughout the united states. ms. bass: foster care was created as a temporary placement for children who were abused or neglected. the act of removing a child, even from an abusive home is traumatic. even in the face of these challenges the reresiliency of 230ster youth is sound. a woman who spent most of her high school years in a

residential facility was able to graduate with honors and go on to college. it took marissa almost 10 years to complete community college. she explains i was living on my own and working a minimum of 40 house per week and hi to take algebra nine times to pass. she struggled to get past her experiences, but was able to find someone who believed in her. dr. grumberg, a faculty member at the residential facility, encouraged her to reach her dreams. when dr. grunberg died at the young age of 30, marissa mue she couldn't let him down. she went on to graduate from cal state university with her undergraduate degree in psychology and then on to harvard graduate school of education to receive her master's degree in human development and psychology. . i ask you to co-sponsor the bipartisan resolution in recognition of national foster care month. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. the chair lays before the house the following personal request.

the chair: leave of absence requested for mr. lewis of georgia for today. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the request is granted. under the speaker's announced policy of january 6, 2015 the gentleman from california, mr. denham, is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader. mr. denham: mr. speaker, i rise today to acknowledge and honor the life of a beloved leader in my community. beloved father, father-in-law, son-in-law, died at the age of 54 on monday, march 2. guillermo was born on august 29 1960. he emigrated to california from mexico when he was 9 and became an american citizen. he attended school at kaswell

elementary school series high school. after graduating from series high in 1979, guillermo attended modesto junior college and transferred to st. mary's college in california. he earned a b.s. in business administration and economics from st. mary's in 1984. over the course of 17 years guillermo was employed in an administrative capacity for several employers, including campbell soup, diamond of california, yellow transportation and conagra foods. guillermo became a dedicated public servant in 2005 when he was appointed to the security council. he ran for a seat on the security council two years later and won making him the first latino immigrant to become an elected city council in series. working and succeeding together was a slogan guillermo lived by. he demonstrated his dedication to our community service through many communities -- committees boards and

organizations he was a member of. the lists includes the sires chamber of commerce, human resources management, policy board, the regional park committee the joint powers authority board, the city schools committee -- the sires partnership for healthy children committee, the howard stevenson memorial committee, the whit more house preservation committee and the latino community roundtable. he also served as president and vice president of the hispanic leadership council during various periods of his life. he was a true servant to the public and a strong community leader. he motivated sires students to actively learn working diligently with the modesto group of students in an h.l.c. organization called hispanic youth leadership council. the council has had a lasting impact on the educational success of students in both communities. although he was not re-elected

again in 2011, a few years later he achieved his true dream of opening his own business garcia's market a new grocery store empire in california. today, garcia's market remains a vibrant testament fought economic vitality of the american free enterprise system. one of -- one has to admire men like guillermo who display consistent dedication to public service. he remained active in the community even after he was unseated from the security council. guillermo was once asked what sets him apart. his response was, my business and professional experience as well as being a product of two diverse cultures which helps me understand the issues that face our community as a whole. guillermo has set a loving standard of humanity for us all to remember him by.

guillermo leaves behind his wife martha, daughter kimberly ochoa son, christian ochoa, each of them from sires, california. also from sires he leaves behind his father guillermo ochoa sr., mother maria, sister, luz, nephew alexis, a sister and brother-in-law niece cassandra ruiz, niece clarissa ruiz, and nephew, angel ruiz. mr. speaker please join me and honor and recognizing my very, very good friend for his unwavering leadership and many accomplishments and contributions to our community. he had a genuine love for the people and community he worked so hard to help, and we will have a long memory of him. thank you and i yield now time to my -- to the gentleman from west virginia for as much time as he may consume.

>> thank you. i yield myself such time as i may require. i lend my voice to the people of sear yarks many of whom have been silenced by a cruel and oppressive dictator. this very moment 5,500 miles from this chamber in the country of syria innocent people are suffering under a regime bent on crushing freedom. i met recently with a group of syrian americans in charleston, west virginia, my congressional district, and many of them have family members and loved ones in syria. the stories i heard are alarming. syrian dictator bashir al asad is having an all-out war against his own people with one

goal in mind to muzzle any voice that speaks out in opposition to his regime. mr. mooney: and people are suffering. four out of five syrians live in poverty, more than 200,000 people have been killed, one million have been wounded and more than three million syrians have fled the country. assad has shown that he will use any means necessary to maintain his dictatorship. he's rained down chemical weapons from the sky onto neighborhoods. he's dropped cluster bombs and barrel bombs into residential buildings occupied by women and children. he's placed entire communities under siege, starving peaceful residents into submission. he's even bombed hospitals full of people recovering from his attacks.

i would now like to share a few stories that i heard from my constituents with whom i met just this previous monday. first, dana ashbani shama, has family that lives in syria. several of her cousins were brutally killed by the assad regime. one summer night in 2013, gunfire rang out in the streets of the neighborhood in which dana's cousin lived. fearing for her life, she grabbed her husband and their three young children and rushed toward a nearby basement for safety, but they were met by assad's thugs and mers ousley gunned down, their bodies mutilated beyond recognition. dr. ragda salul end docrinologist. their town fell under siege by

the assad military in 2013. the residents are running low on food and are surviving on a diet of dry noodles and if they're lucky vegetables that they grow on their rooftops and balconies. without electricity they've stripped their streets bare of trees, trying to keep themselves warm on cold nights. no one even wants to think about next winter. recently a foreign humanitarian organization dropped relief materials for the town and her husband set up a marketplace in his home to facilitate the bartering of goods. but it didn't last long. the assad regime bombed their home destroying their little market and killing three people. dr. kalid was an orthopedic surgeon in alopo before the conflict in syria began.

he was forced to flee. he worked in several field hospitals and witnessed numerous aerial attacks. one of these attacks occurred on a new orthopedic center on the day of its opening in march of 2013. the missile struck the hospital, killing one patient, injuring several people and forcing the facility to shut down. in june of 2012, government forces entered duma, a suburb of damascus, and ordered everyone out much their apartments. citizens were lined up and told to face the wall. madison, an 11-month-old baby at the time, was held by his mother with his father and 10-year-old sister fatima, by her side. fatima asked the soldiers to spare the life of her baby brother offering $2, all the money she had in her pocket. the soldiers shot anyway and

fatima's father was shot. as he was shot he fell onto fatima protecting her from the bullets. one bullet went through madison and killed their mother. at a family of 25, only four survived. these are just only a few of the stories i heard, but they should be a call to action. the commander in chief of our powerful military, president obama appropriately recognized the severity of the situation in syria drawing a red line at chemical weapons. but assad has crossed that red line repeatedly with impunity and the president has failed to rise to the challenge. according to press reports assad regime launched another chemical weapon on the syrian people just this past week. we need leadership from the president in the face of grave human rights violations in

syria, not faux red lines and empty threats. president obama is not providing that leadership and people in syria are suffering because of it. thank you mr. speaker. i yield back. mr. denham: at this point mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. under the speaker's announced policy of january 6, 2015, the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. gohmert, for 30 minutes.

mr. gohmert: thank you, mr. speaker. this has been an interesting week with all the activity here on the hill. prime minister of japan came and spoke. did a very admirable job. a lot of activity across the street at the supreme court. it was rather interesting. if you look at the history of the supreme court until 1810 thereabouts the supreme court did not have a courtroom here in the capitol or anywhere, really. and they often had to borrow a room from the house and senate in order to have oral arguments, so they were thrilled on the supreme court in 1810 when the senate chamber

on the second floor was open which is now referred to as the old designate chamber. senate moves up to that chamber just straight down the hall out here, and the old old senate chamber down the stairs was converted into a supreme court room and the justices were thrilled. they were thrilled they finally had their own nice courtroom. now it's not much more than a museum room. people can tour that room, but there were some important decisions that were considered down there some very poor decisions that were made in that room, some very good decisions that were made in that room. one of them was -- involved the

spanish ship, the amistad. it was a great movie. a guy who grew up in long view, texas, in my district, matthew mcconaughey, played the trial lawyer in the case. anthony hopkins did a great job playing john quincy adams. and i commend that movie to anyone who cares to see it. i don't think as many people saw it as have seen mcconaughey's other movies. he didn't take off his shirt in this one. but the basic story can be found in the likes of history books. unfortunately not many that you can find in any school in america these days. but it was a very important case. in establishing propriety in america.

but there was a group of africans who were captured by other africans, taken to the coast of africa, sold into slavery, put in chains, sailed across the sea to the atlantic, to the caribbean. there this particular group of africans were put on a spanish ship called the amistad. and after they sailed, the africans were able to get free, take over control of the ship they didn't know anything about sailing a ship like that. and ended up landing in the united states. on the united states coast. immediately the spanish -- spaniards began proclaiming that the africans were their property, they were slaves they were their property, as was the ship and they wanted to take their ship, what they said

were slaves who were actually africans, should have been free but they wanted to go. and leave with them. so there was a lawsuit and it took a while to find someone who could speak the african's native tongue. their version was a little different. they were minding their own business, they were free africans and that's what they wanted to be. they're not anybody's property. but fellow africans had sold them into slavery and they just wanted to be free like they started. so the lawsuit went on, there were a couple of trials some impropriety in the process. but it made its way to the supreme court in the 1830's. by that time john quincy adams had become the first son of a former president to be elected president. someone told me it's happened

since then. but he was the first son of a former president to be elected president. he had argued cases before the supreme court before including just two or three years before he got elected president. 1828 he was defeated so he never got a second term. but two years after that he did, for a president, what was fairly unthinkable. he ran for the house of representatives. no president's ever run for congress before or since. john -- before or since john quincy adams. but he had an abiding sense that he had a calling.

that he had a calling to do that in america. so he ran for the house of representatives. he was elected nine times beginning in 1830. so the little plaque where his desk was just down the hall in the old house chamber says, 1831 to 1848. he had a massive stroke in 1848 . but over the course of his time in the house he repeatedly filed bills to end slavery in america, to free specific slaves. and at times he made the rules committee furious because of the number of bills he filed. when he was recognized, in essence, he would give a hell fire brim stone sermon about the evils of slavery and how could we expect god to bless

america when we were treating brothers and sisters the way slaves were treated? well, he never got a win on any of his votes to end slavery. but in the 1830's, after the amistad case made its way to the supreme court he was eventually convinced to take over the case, to argue it before the supreme court. he originally had been reluctant but decided that was something he should do and so he did. he argued the case back in those days -- case, back in those days there was no limit on length of oral argument. and so he went on and on. not as long as the three days daniel webster took in one case. but over one day and another

and of course they broke for lunch and in the evening. but before the oral arguments ended, one night one of the justices died. so that kind of throws a kink in oral argument. but on the last day in his argument, after having argued the law, tried to argue precedence tried to argue the facts, he apparently didn't feel good about the supreme court's position. he didn't feel like they were with him. mr. speaker, if you can put yourself in the place of john quincy adams, knowing how wrong slavery was, and how we could never reach our potential as a nation if we continued the

course of slavery, and yet knowing if you're not up to the job in this case, arguing before these justices, nine and then eight and you don't do a good enough job, then the africans will remain in chains and most likely their children, grandchildren will wear chains because you didn't do a good enough job as the attorney. so the pressure was immense. you can find his oral argument online. but we don't have days for that to be all recited. but you can find to order the end of the oral argue -- toward the end of the organize -- oral argument, and i don't have it here before me, but the process he used toward the end might be offensive to some judges now. if somebody had done it before me as a judge, it might have been offensive to me. but he was desperate to

convince the judges to think carefully about what they were about to decide. whether free africans, africans that started as free africans, should remain free africans. or whether they should be considered no more than property to the people that bought them from the africans that sold them. so his argument turned right at the end to a recitation of justices who had been on the court and who were no longer alive. saying, in essence, you know, where is chief justice john marshall? where is this justice? that justice? he called them by name. he knew them. through his father, through himself personally, he knew the justices. all those that had passed away. and he called every one of

their names and he said, the solicitor general that last argued a case against me before this court, this was back in the early 1920's, where is he? he had passed away. and he went on naming the names of justices who had been on the supreme court and died and then came around and he said, even the justice that started this case, where is he? he's not with us. they've all gone to meet their maker. their judge. and then he said the biggest thing about -- the biggest question about their lives is, when they met their maker, their judge, did they hear the words, well done good and faithful servant? that was an argument before the supreme court. like i say, that's not verbatim. but the question that he said was so critical about their

lives was verbatim because he knew that came from scripture that he believed with his heart . like the apostle paul is saying that he hoped that he would hear that. well done, good and faithful servant. now, he didn't go the extra step and insult the judges by saying are you going to hear it if you die tonight? but the implication was very clear. and fortunately not just for the africans but for people of conscience back in that day the supreme court made a good decision, unlike what they did in the dread scott case, making an abysmal decision, but that was also heard and decided while the supreme court met in that same room, that tourists it's not as easy to go on a tour as it used to be throughout the capitol. but you can see that courtroom

where that occurred. and the supreme court did the right thing. and they decided the free africans should be free africans. a good decision. that they were not anyone's property, that they did not have to leave in shackles they're free africans. they were free people. which actually goes right back to the declaration of independence, the founders believed that we were endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights and that we were created equal. one of the great questions about those days was how even thomas jefferson, who had put in the declaration of independence one of the longest

grievances was actually king george having allowed slavery to exist in america when he himself had slaves. but you got the gist. they understood it really was not a good thing. it didn't end up in the final draft of the declaration of independence. but it held our country back because any country that treat it's people like that -- treats people like that is going to never reach their potential as a country. it is interesting, though, in our history, that if you go there in the, what's called statuary hall, because all these statues have been placed in there now, but it was a house chamber until the late 1850's, a place where they had church for a majority of the 1800's. thomas jefferson went to church in there. the guy that coined the phrase in a letter separation of

church and state there should be a wall of separation. he saw it as a one-way wall. that the government should not interfere with religion and religious beliefs. but he thought it was perfectly fine for religion to participate in government. and had no problem, he even brought the marine band just down the hall to play hymns on many occasions on sundays. for many years it was the largest christian church in washington, d.c. right down the hall in the u.s. capitol, in the house of representatives. is where they met. james madison that gets so much credit in the -- in accumulating the pro visions of the -- provisions of the constitution, he should have known what the constitution meant and the first amendment that was to come. he saw no problem with coming to church in the u.s. capitol each sunday.

while he was president. congressional research service, when i inquired, they indicated that usually when jefferson came to church in the capitol each sunday, he'd normally ride his horse. madison, when he came to church, each sunday here in the capitol, he'd normally come up here in a horse-drawn carriage. but that's part of our history. there was no way that any of those founders were ever going to try to interfere with the religious beliefs of especially christians in america. that would have been unfathomable to them. yet that's the very thing that was being argued right across the street this week. that the government should be able to compel people with very

strong religious beliefs, compel them to violate their most strongly held religious beliefs and compel them basically to become slaves to the government and the nonbelief, the amoral beliefs of people who may be on the supreme court. . i bring this up because as you look at the history of the supreme court, when you find that when the senate moved at the beginning of their term of the year 1860, as they started that senate year, they started it down the hall in the current chamber where they are. and so in 1860, the supreme court moved up from the floor below up to this beautiful old

designate chamber, as it's called now, but it was the supreme court chamber from 1860 to 1935. i think it was 1931, the current supreme court building was built, because before that the supreme court got hand me-downs from most everything and, of course, after a court decision like dread scott they probably deserved nothing but hand-me-downs but nonetheless, our only president and also be on the supreme court, william howard taft, because of the political ties he was in a position to seek and get funding for a new building. he didn't get to be chief justice in the new building, but in a documentary that was done not too long ago, i was not aware but it pointed out that when the justices for the supreme court were taken through this new supreme court

building in 1935 showing them their new chambers the new court that many of them were appalled. they were shocked because it appeared to be -- for them to be a palace. they got a -- didn't even have a room for a while. then they get the hand-me-down from the old old senate chamber. now they're looking at a palace that they as justices were supposed to vfment the documentary pointed out -- supposed to have. the documentary pointed out that many of the justices didn't move to the offices for a long time because they felt it was inappropriate for justices in the united states of america to be in a palace. mr. speaker, some may not be aware but they're comfortable with the palace now of course, but interesting that for a while some of them felt it

looked too much like a palace, it sent the wrong message. but when i was a judge when i was a chief justice, we had many programs on ethics to teach young -- what the general feeling on ethics was, what the rules are and generally if there were a case in which it appeared a justice had already made a decision in advance, that was a judge or justice who should, in order to remain ethical, recuse themselves. recuse him or herself. well, we've had -- we had two justices, i read had performed marriage ceremonies for a couple that was of the same sex.

there could be no more clearer evidence that a justice had decided whether or not same-sex marriage was appropriate when such justice was performing that. but one of the flaws in our supreme court justice system that only exists for the supreme court of the united states, no other court in the land has this problem they have no one to whom anybody in america using the court system can appeal on ethical issues. congress can impeach after the fact if something's done inappropriate, but for example, if someone made a motion to recuse me as a judge, then i

could hear it but then that could be appealed to another judge. and there were methods of appeal but if you believe that a judge making -- or a justice, in the supreme court's case, making their views very clear that they have very strong feelings for same-sex marriage and that they believe it's perfectly appropriate before the case comes before them and yet they decide i'm not doing anything unethical to stay on the court because they have become -- they've come so far from those days when they didn't even have a courtroom for about 21 years to where they now have a lovely palace there's no one else that they allow and appeal to. they could. they could set up a panel to

make decisions about ethical issues but when you as a court begin replacing god with your own decisions, when you begin to replace the laws of human nature with what you think the law should be, then naturally you're not going to set up a panel that second guesses your decision on ethics because you are the be-all-end-all for such decisions. so it grieves me very much for our court system to have justices who made their positions very clear sit on a case as if they hadn't decide a case as if they're fair and unbiased and then say this is

justice in america. we have badly regressed. the days of humility for some justices are gone. there was a time when justices had such a sense of humility that they thought this was a palace they should not be in. those days are gone. there was a time when justices could be embarrassed about such a horrendous decision like dred scott. i fear those days are gone as well. but they will make a decision and they will decide either -- i hope they decide that this is a decision for each state, but

since the constitution does not speak to the issue of marriage and the 10th amendment makes very clear any power not specifically enumerated is reserved to the states and the people that they will ensure that they are not the arbiters of morality in america any longer, at least not on this issue, that they will decide they are not going to go so far as to condemn people who believe firmly in the teachings of the bible old testament and new testament people that believe in the commandments that the man depicted as the only full face in this whole gallery above these doors the people that were considered the greatest lawgivers of all-time when this was decorated in this way, moses, that's the same

moses that if you go into the supreme court and you're looking at the supreme court and you're seeing them struggling to become god in their decisions about religion if you look up in the marble wall above you to the right, you will see moses depicted holding the 10 commandments and looking down. they will decide whether they are going to inject themselves and tell people what the pilgrims heard in europe, what christians heard around the world that came to america so they would not be persecuted as christians. they will tell america very clearly, we don't care what your religious views are.

this supreme court is going to decide that we are going to prohibit the free exercise of religion because we are more important and our views are more important than the clear language of the first amendment when it says that the government will not prohibit the free exercise of religion. well we'll find out. i hope and pray that supreme court -- pray that the supreme court has a time of humility, their hearts are touched to the point they will not decide that the pope is an idiot that they as the popes of america know what's best for the people than any religious leader in the country that they will

substitute their judgment for those of the bible. kind of hard to get around romans 1 if you really believe the new testament. nonetheless, that decision is coming mr. speaker. i'm truly hopeful that americans will realize the seriousness of this decision and the ultimate breakdown that it will be and i hope we don't degenerate in this country more into violence but we see what happens around this country when we get god -- we don't even want god mentioned anywhere even though for this country's history the bible has been the most quoted book right here in this chamber

chamber down the hall. most quoted book ever in our government's history. so when i'm talking like this on the floor, we usually get calls from people that are going berserk. how dare him mention god. just within the last week or two i quoted from abraham lincoln who wrote an official united states government proclamation begging, imploring the people to have a time of prayer, humility and fasting, and in the proclamation he makes clear that the problem at that point as slavery was a huge problem, civil war was ongoing at the time of his proclamation but he knew those were symptoms of what happens when you turn from the religious morality of the bible

and he said we have forgotten god. i hope the supreme court will not once again inject themselves as gods but they will observe the true meaning of the first amendment. and with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. under the speaker's announced policy of january 6, 2015, the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois mr. rush, for 30 minutes. mr. rush: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. rush: i want to thank you mr. speaker. within the last hour or so, there was a decision by the

baltimore city state's attorney mosley, in the investigation of the death of freddie gray a black man who died under questionable circumstances. circumstances that kind of made us all wonder where the truth lies circumstances that cause young people and others to take to the streets across this nation, circumstances that

brought into a sharp, bright light. the question of justice in america the question of police misconduct in america the question of mayhem in america, the question of poverty in america the question of violence in america. freddie gray's murder, freddie gray's death and the question of circumstances around his death brought into sharp relief all these issues of race and living in an urban center. .

brought into sharp relief. since the years or more of determined, callous disinvestment in our urban areas years or more of joblessness bad schools bad housing bad health care. 50 years of hopelessness. but in the last few minutes, mr. speaker, this brilliant young, courageous african-american woman

baltimore city state attorney marilyn mosby made a decision and she kded that -- decided that, yes, notwithstanding all the differences of opinion, to change stories, the moving target, notwithstanding all of these things are happening, she decided that freddie gray was murdered. freddie gray was murdered. and that she would indict the police officers who were responsible.

and by indicting the baltimore city police officers who were responsible for mr. gray's murder, she made a giant enormous step for justice, for young people, young african-american men and women young people who live in our urban areas. by her decision today, just a few moments ago, she has done this nation an invaluable service. especially for young people. especially for the african-american and other minority youth.

these young people have for decades now yearned nor justice -- for justice as it relates to police misconduct, police brutality and yes police murder. this new standard for justice is a standard that now transcends baltimore transcends even the entire state of maryland it transcends and reaches to other points all across this nation. ferguson, new york city, chicago, cleveland, other places all throughout this country.

mr. speaker, as an african-american male who represents the south side of the city of chicago i know firsthand about police misconduct, police mayhem and police murder. i must say madam speaker mr. speaker that in my 68 years living mostly in the city of chicago, i have never seen the wheels of justice move so profoundly, so pointedly and so

purposefully as i have witnessed with baltimore city's state attorney marilyn mosby's action. she's raised all kinds of standards. for all of us who fight for justice, who want to see justice delivered in the true american way who want to see an end to all the machinations and excuses and turning away, closing our eyes to police misconduct in our urban areas,

this wonderful, courageous young city states attorney has raised the standard for prosecutors all across our great nation. she's raised the standards for mayors and chiefs of police and other law enforcement officials . she's raised the standard for even those who are in this body . opening our minds, open our eyes and see the truth. let me just say right now mr. speaker, that the police officers of this nation, the

overwhelming majority of them are good hardworking defenders of the community. they're not law breakers, they're there to serve and protect and we honor them and we lift them up. but there's a few who think that they can get away with all kinds of illegal actions just because they can get away with it. because the system has a tendency and a habit of protecting even those who violate not only the laws of this nation but the spirit of the laws of this nation.

these laws that keep this nation together, these laws that make us have an identity as one nation under god, indivisible with liberty and justice for all, these police officers, this minority of those on the urban police forces across this nation, these are the ones that abrogate the constitution, short circuit our constitution, short circuit our quest for justice, our appeal for justice and our right for justice. short circuit those just for their thrill of the moment. can you imagine mr. speaker,

being handcuffed and leg cuffed laying down face down in the back of a paddy wagon driven recklessly determined by those police officers who were driving, who had him in custody, to maim, harm brutalize him.

tossed about because of sudden stops. you are in the back of a pady wagon handcuffed, legcuffed and these police officers getting a thrill out of tossing you around in a sealed encased paddy wagon. not caring about the broken parts of your body that might occur, not caring about whether you really lived or died. -- whether you really lived or died. not really caring about the oath that they were sworn to when they were hired and when they took that oath to serve

and protect. all those things became secondary to their thrill seeing how much havoc and harm they can cause to this black man in baltimore. yeah they thought they would get away with it. that no one would even think to question their decisions their thrill seeking. their conduct. but thank god there is a woman in baltimore who said to them

to all the police officers who are like minded such as them, said to the nation no more no more. not this time. you're going to be indicted and you're going to be charged. and that's the way it is. grieving mothers mr. gray's mother, his father, his relatives, his loved ones his friends his neighbors will

know there will be justice for freddie gray. i said in chicago there will be justice for freddie gray. from this nation's borders, young people are rejoicing now that there is soon to be justice for freddie gray. mr. speaker, ms. mosby's actions, her courage, her dedication her commitment her decisiveness has spoke to an ideal that's creating this

movement for justice all across this nation. she's very clearly and profoundly and without hesitation spoken to all of us to this nation. her actions have shouted it out that black lives do matter that that black lives do matter. that all lives in america matters and that black lives matters also. thank you madam speaker. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back.